On Vows and Promises
by coreen010
Summary: Okay, I suck at summaries, but here it goes. One morning in Forks, Edward reviews the tattered paper where he wrote his vows to Bella. Still, we must remember that things are not always what they seem, and there can't always be butterflies and rainbows.
1. Chapter 1

**I think I'm supposed to say I'm sad that I don't own Twilight...so, yeah, sorrowfully, I do not own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer deserves the credit.**

**Anyway, this is my first fan fic ever, so please bear with me. :P**

-o0o-

There was probably nothing in the sunny morning that would hint anyone on the gravity of what will happen in a few moments. Edward Cullen stood there, still immaculately handsome as ever, but with a certain look—a mixture of resignation and anticipation—on his solid face.

He is in the meadow in Forks, looking at the exact same spot where he first talked to his dear Bella about his feelings. He smiled slightly, as if basking on the memory, and suddenly froze. He paced uneasily in smooth, fluid movements and ran a free hand through his hair. On one hand, he was clutching a piece of paper. Right smack in the middle of the page were the words that have the power to change him forever. Not that he needed it, of course. His memory serves him pretty well without the aid of reminders or little notes. He just thought it wouldn't hurt to give in to the mainstream of human quirks once in while.

_(Flashback)_

"_Whatever," Bella said to him three days ago as she hovered in front of him. Folding her arms on her chest, she continued, "I still want you to write it down."_

"_Really, now, Bella…" he began, shaking his head._

"_Don't 'really, now, Bella' me!" She tried in vain to imitate his silky voice. "It will be the most important day of our lives! How hard could it be, right? It's such a simple request. Ugh. You can be so selfish at times, you know?" She furrowed her brow and stuck out her tongue._

_Edward just chuckled. He pressed his lips to her forehead and was suddenly beside Bella, armed with a pen and paper._

_Bella's eyes widened in horror. "What. Are. You. Doing?"_

_Edward stared at her in confusion "I thought this was what you wanted?"_

"_NO! Well, yeah, but no! Don't write _that_ in front of me! Will you just go find your private place somewhere? Don't spoil it for me." Bella replied, slightly stuttering._

_Edward raised an eyebrow and gave an easy laugh. "You're impossible." With that, he kissed her cheek and went to his piano, leaned on it and used it as a table. In a few seconds, he was back beside Bella on the sofa._

"_Done already?" Bella asked doubtfully. _

_He nodded in reply. "Happy now?" He teased._

_Bella blushed, broke into a satisfied smile and answered, "Yes. Thank you, Edward."_

_(End of flashback)_


	2. Chapter 2

**I think I'm supposed to say I'm sad that I don't own Twilight…so, yeah, sorrowfully, I do not own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer deserves the credit.**

**Anyway, this is my first fan fic ever, so please bear with me. :P **

**Oh, and the wedding vow was highly inspired by Dr. Preston Burke's lines in Grey's Anatomy. I thought it was great, so I decided to use it. You can try searching for that particular scene in YouTube, if you like.**

-o0o-

There was a gust of wind and they suddenly arrived. Most of them were in robes, but some simply wore layers of clothing to hide their skin from the sun. Edward gave a tiny smile, more of a nervous twitch at the corners of his mouth than his usual dazzling one.

"Hmm. That was fast," he said coolly. The crowd just stared at him knowingly.

He looked at their faces, and then his gazed flickered at the unusually beautiful bouquets of flowers they brought, placed in casual disarray, as if they were never really meant to be there. The meadow was full of exquisite wildflowers, their beauty plain but very natural, very true to their form. The flowers he was looking at now gave off a different sense of foreboding, like they also knew that something out of the ordinary would occur. He chuckled a bit. _Good choice_, he said, more to himself than to his companions. He continued pacing. His mind was made up, and this time it was really final.

"Just…give me a minute," he said slowly. The others just nodded patiently.

He opened the tattered paper and read through everything for the last time.

_My ever dearest Bella_—it commenced—_I could promise to hold you and to protect you for as long as you need me. I could promise to love you and cherish you for all eternity. But I won't. Those words are for optimistic couples, the ones full of hope...and I do not stand here, on my wedding day, optimistic or full of hope. I am not optimistic, I am not hopeful, I am sure. I am steady. Everything I am and everything I have is reserved only for you. You are my partner, my lover, my very best friend. I have never relied on anyone before, but on this day, the day of our wedding, I promise you this: I promise to share with you all of my fears and dreams, everything that I hold near and dear. Know that I lay myself in the palm of your hands, that I promise you, me._

Edward suddenly felt someone next to him. He tensed, but the other vampire just came closer and placed a hand gently on Edward's arm.

"Edward, you don't have to do this, you know."

Edward just leaned on a tree trunk and stared at his own crossed arms.

"No one blames you for Bella's death, you know that. If you could on-"

Edward cut him off immediately with a swift sharpness to his voice. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about that."

-o0o-

**It doesn't end here, okay:) I'm just building up my story. I know it's depressing, my friends actually hate me for this chapter, but I just wanted to write something sad, for a change. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**I think I'm supposed to say I'm sad that I don't own Twilight…so, yeah, sorrowfully, I do not own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer deserves the credit.**

**Anyway, this is my first fan fic ever, so please bear with me. :P Thanks to those who reviewed and everything! I really, really appreciate it.**

-o0o-

(Edward's POV)

I remember clearly the last time I saw her. I will hang on to that memory for as long as I can, because as of now, that is all I could do.

(Edward's Flashback)

"I need to do this, Edward," Bella muttered after putting down the phone. Jacob called her and asked to meet him at the beach.

"He's my best friend," she continued. "It's not like he would deliberately try to hurt me or anything. He promised…and I trust him."

Light pangs of jealousy hit me as I tried to keep a straight face. I inhaled and looked at her eyes. She was sure—so, so sure of him. I didn't think I have much choice here. I slowly nodded.

She looked at me with pained eyes, measuring my expression, but she went on, "It's the least I could do. Tomorrow's our big day! I just wanted to see him, since he obviously would ditch our wedding. Just some sort of closure."

I took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Yes," I replied, "you are correct. But I will take you there. I will wait for you just before the Quileute boundary. I will stay inside the car no matter how long it takes, and then I will take you home immediately after you talk to him. Take it or leave it."

She gave off an expression of frustration. "Edward, I'm not exactly eight, you know. I don't need a chaperone. Besides, I don't think it's a good idea for you guys to see each other. We don't want to start a war! Don't rub salt on the wound, Edward."

"No, I don't mean to do anything like that. Although, I am looking forward to seeing his expression when he sees me…" I said smugly.

"Ed-waaard!" Bella hit me with the sofa cushion, and I stayed in place, just so she wouldn't feel much more upset. I stifled a laugh as I reached out and tucked a few strands of stray hair behind her left ear.

"Okay," I finally said, "I understand. Just please be safe." I tried to put up a calm front, but my expressions betrayed me. It was all too much to hide.

She reached out and smoothed the creases on my forehead. "Don't worry, Edward. I know I've had a low point before, and I'm sorry. It won't happen anymore. It's you whom I really love, and we both know that. It's just you, Edward. It has always been you. Only you and no one else." With that, I pulled her close and kissed her lightly.

Then, I let her go.


	4. Chapter 4

**I think I'm supposed to say I'm sad that I don't own Twilight…so, yeah, sorrowfully, I do not own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer deserves the credit.**

**Anyway, this is my first fan fic ever, so please bear with me. :P Thanks to those who reviewed and everything! I really, really appreciate it.**

-o0o-

(Continuation of Edward's Flashback)

It took me so much will power to go upstairs and tell Alice to lay off Bella for a while. This was something she had to do with her best friend, and I respect that. Besides, it's not like Alice could see them.

I barely touched her doorknob when I heard her high-pitched squeak.

"Edward!" Alice's expression was torn and confused. Something acted up in me and I immediately demanded her to tell me what she saw.

"No, you paranoid groom." She snapped back. "It's just that I saw Renee settling on a mauve dress, which means I have to change the color of the carpet!"

I buried my face in my hands.

"Edward. Can you not see how serious this is? Imagine her walking on a fabric that could very well been used to make her dress! She could just lie there and be in great danger of being stepped on!" Alice's eyes were bulging and she was clutching a few brochures in both hands.

I stared at her in disbelief. _She can't be serious, can she?_ But knowing my sister, she probably was. So I retorted, "Alice, it's a meadow. Why would you even bother putting carpet on grass, anyway? Also, need I remind you that there are but 12 guests?"

"C'mon! I gave in to that small number of guests! Can't you please be the nice brother you are and indulge me in my frustration on being a wedding planner?"

I hung my head back in exasperation and surrender. Alice ignored me and went back to checking her brochures using one hand and dialing on her cell phone with the other.

"What are you here for, anyway?" Alice asked distractedly. I explained to her my concern and she looked up for a split second, only to raise one finger and stop me in the middle of my sentence.

"Yes, hello, this is Alice Cullen. I'm calling for the Cullen-Swan Nuptials. I know it's such a late notice, but could I possibly change the carpet back to the original color we talked about?" There was a long pause.

"Yes, yes, not the dark red, the lighter one. NO! Ah. No. Hmm. A new one? About two shades lighter? Oooh." Another longer pause. By this time, I already settled back on her couch. I leaned back and started throwing upward a rubber ball I found perched in her desk upward. I caught it and threw it again. And again. And again.

"Uh-huh."

"Ooooh. Uh-huh."

"Uh-huh."

"Uh-huh."

A few more "Uh-huhs" later and the call ended. She started, "Edward, if she's going to talk to Jacob, then there's really nothing I could do about it. Besides, even if she isn't, my mind is too preoccupied with the wedding details. My visions are clouded. All I can see as of now are things related to the preparations. Now, hold on a sec."

She started dialing again and I knew it was my cue to leave their room. I could not possibly stand another conversation like that. When it comes to Bella and her brief phone calls, I could. But Alice is a totally different case. No wonder Jasper is more often seen downstairs these past few days.

I called Jacob about 30 minutes after Bella left. I knew that I should simply trust her, but somehow, I was not able to shake off that nagging feeling of fear. It was not directly aimed at Jacob—though he did play quite a big part on it—but it was something vague. I am not sure if I really am just paranoid, but knowing Bella's luck, you can never be too sure.

"Yes?" Jacob muttered gruffly on the phone. Quil and Embry started to find him two days after he ran away. They managed to bring him back to La Push. Of course, it took them about two weeks in their wolf form just to hunt Jacob down, and that's saying a lot. I give Jacob credit for that.

"Why are you at home? Were you not supposed to meet Bella at the beach? She left a few minutes ago. She should be there by now."

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't even talked to her ever since you—"

But I clicked my phone off and ran as fast as I could.

The wind whipped my hair and I narrowed my eyes in concentration. I could already smell her scent, but I could not breathe a sigh of relief. I followed the sweet smell and turned towards the thick clump of trees, going deeper and deeper into the woods. My eyes strained for a sign of her.

I was losing it, and I absentmindedly tried to humor myself into thinking why and how Bella went this far. I could not see her truck anywhere. Could she have gotten lost? Bumped a tree or ran over something? Fallen over or gotten lost here? Typical. That's Bella. That's _my_ Bella.

Her fragrance grew stronger and stronger. It submerged my sense of smell in a powerful, lingering aroma that I could almost taste her blood.

Then I saw her. And she was not alone.


End file.
